Wassailing

From Traditional Witchcraft Wiki Project

The custom of wassailing derives from the Middle English and Germanic salutation "wæs hæil", meaning "Be Healthy" or "Be Whole". The custom is ancient, and traceable at least back as far as the 16th century, but as it happened independently of the church there are a shortage of written records.

Wassailing is carried out both before Yule and afterwards until Old Twelfth Night (17th January), and although once widespread across England and South Wales, it is now mostly confined to western England (especially Somerset/Devon and Herefordshire), with revivals of Apple Howling occuring also in Sussex. This is to be expected when one conciders that these are the places where apple-growing for cider is most rife.

There are two existing versions of the custom, the first being a house visiting custom and the other being a fruit tree blessing custom, especially of apples and pears. In the latter the purpose is to ensure good and safe growth of the next year's cider apple crop, and when carried out in the new year, to rouse the tree from its winter slumber.

The rite begins with the preparation of the Wassail Cup, the recipe for which varies greatly from family to family. Indeed, in some places ale rather than cider is traditional, but in both cases it is normally spiced and served hot. Many families have their own special wassail bowls, which are generally of earthenware or wood, with handles on either side, in the fashion of a punch-bowl.

With the Wassail Cup in hand, the people process and gather about the apple trees in the orchard, normally starting with the most venerable, these generally being held in folklore as 'king' of the orchard. Praise and blessings are given to the tree, thanking it for the year's bounty and asking it for a good harvest to come. Often a toast is also drunk to the tree, and various wassail songs are sung.

The trees are then usually beaten with sticks to 'wake them up' and get the sap flowing, in the same way that flaggelation quickens the blood. Much noise is also made, including shouting, the banging of pots and pans and the firing of shotguns, to drive away any evil spirits that might be lurking in the branches, thereby ensuring the safeguarding of the following year's crop.

Cider is then poured over the roots of the tree as a libation and toast soaked in cider placed into the branches (normally by a young girl) and hollows of the tree. In Sussex, the crowd also bow to the tree, and give toast it with the Wassail Cup, but in all places much cider or ale is comsumed duting the course of the custom.

As mentioned, another form of wassailing is the door to door visit with the Wassail Bowl. This is carried, normally by young men and women, from house to house through the village, money being given in return for a drink from the cup, often accompanied with a blessing or toast to the health of those within the household.

Wassail Songs

There are a number of regional variations on the wassail song, and here follow a sample:

Sussex Version

Stand fast root, bear well top

Pray God send us a good howling crop

Every twig, apples big

Every bough, apples enow.

Hats full, caps full, full quarter sacks full

Holla boys holla!

Norton Fitzwarren Version (Somerset)

Old Apple-tree, Old Apple-tree,

We wassail thee and hoping thou wilt bear,

For the Lord doth know where we shall be,

Till apples come another year;

For to bear well, and to bloom well,

So merry let us be;

Let every man take off his hat and shout to thee,

Old Apple-tree, Old Apple-tree,

We wassail thee and hoping thou wilt bear,

Hat fulls,

Cap fulls,

And a little heap under the stairs.